Never Let You Go
by marehami
Summary: This is the new version of Never Let You Go which is the origin story of Keleficent and I's adoption AU. We are doing it brand new because we cherish the original AU so much that we wanted to make the origin story as strong as possible. Dipper and Mabel must learn that for all they have held close and cherished from their lives, that sometimes the best thing to do is let go.
1. The Call

Mabel was thrilled to be getting the birthday party she wanted, surrounded by all the people she has come to know and love. But she noticed one guest was missing: Ford.

If there was one regret she had this summer, it was not getting the chance to know her Grunkle better. He had been with them for such a short time, and most of that time was spent with Dipper instead of her.

She tried not to be bitter about it. When she comes back next summer, she can work on forming a better relationship with him.

She decided to sneak away from the party to go check on him. She found him on the side of the Shack pacing back and forth; Stan told her he always did when he was nervous.

"Grunkle Ford?"

Ford jumped slightly. Mabel lifted her arms pretending to surrender. "I come in peace."

Ford rubbed the back of his neck, slightly embarrassed. "Sorry, dear."

"It's okay. What are you doing here by yourself?"

"Just needed to think."

"About what?"

"Well…do you remember when Stan told you about our dream as kids to go sailing around the world together?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, I was going to propose that maybe…since we're together again…we can finally live that dream."

Mabel's face lit up with excitement. "Oh, Grunkle Ford! That's wonderful! I'm so excited for you!"

"Don't get too excited. I haven't asked him yet. He could still say no." Ford bowed his head in guilt. "And I wouldn't blame him if he did."

"Aww, Grunkle Ford, don't worry. I know he'll say yes."

"How can you be so sure?"

"He spent thirty years trying to get you back. I think we can take that as a sign he wants to be with you again."

Ford chuckled. "Point taken." Ford put his hand on Mabel's shoulder. "Thank you, Mabel. You really are a good person."

"Aw, shucks." Mabel waved her hand.

"Mabel, where are you?" Dipper called from the front of the shack. "It's time to cut the cake!"

"Coming!" Mabel turned back to Ford. "After we cut the birthday cake, you should ask him. You'll feel better if you just get it over with."

"Yes, you're right. After you cut the cake, I'll ask him!" Ford said with determination.

"That's the spirit, Grunkle Ford!"

"Alright, missy, we better get going."

"Yes, my public awaits!" Mabel said as she put her arm around her forehead in a dramatic pose.

Ford chuckled. His niece never failed to bring a smile to his face. He wished he had gotten to spend more time with her. But he supposed there was always next summer.

They sang happy birthday to the twins. When they went to open their presents, Ford decided now was his chance.

"Stanley, I need to talk to you." Ford led Stan behind the Shack. Ford noticed Stan was crossing his arms and frowning. It broke his heart that Stan automatically assumed any private conversation between them would be negative. Ford hoped he could change that.

"I didn't wanna say anything with everyone listening, but we've got a problem. Weirdmageddon has been contained, but I'm detecting some strange new anomalies near the Arctic Ocean. I want to go investigate it, but I think I might be too old to go it alone."

Stan's heart skipped a beat. Was Ford really asking…?

"Are you saying you need someone to help you sail around the world in the adventure of a lifetime…?"

"I don't just want someone to come with me, Stanley. I want it to be you." Ford pulled out an old photograph of Stan and Ford as children, shirtless and sunburnt on the jersey shore on their beloved Stan O' War. "Will you give me a second chance?"

Stan couldn't believe it. All those years hopping from dimension to dimension, Ford had held onto and treasured this photo. Despite everything, Ford always remembered his brother.

Stan looked up and grinned. "You think we'll find treasure? And babes?"

Ford knew this was his brother's way of saying yes. It had taken him a long time to admit it, but he longed for those crazy, carefree adventures with his beloved brother more than any scientific praise. He was finally ready to take the leap to earn his brother's forgiveness.

Their conversation was interrupted when a phone rang from inside the Shack. Stan went inside to answer it followed by Ford.

"Hello…? Yeah, this is Stan, who's this…?" Stan's entire demeanor changed. The joy he felt just a moment ago gave way to shock and anguish.

"No…it can't be…you're sure it's them…? Oh my God."

Stan put his hand on his head, looking like was trying to hold back tears.

"Stan, what is it?" Ford asked growing more concerned.

Stan either didn't hear him or ignored him and continued his phone conversation. "Which hospital?"

Ford was really worried upon hearing hospitals being mentioned.

Stan hung up the phone without even saying goodbye to the person he was speaking with. He was staring off into the distance like a shell-shocked soldier.

"Stanley, answer me!"

Stan snapped out of it as though he just remembered Ford was there. "The kids…their mom…she's dead, Ford."

"What?" Ford asked shocked and horrified.

"There was a car accident…they were coming up here to surprise the kids for their birthday. An eighteen-wheeler swerved into their lane..."

"They?"

"Their dad…my…_our_ nephew. He's still alive, but he's in the critical condition. He might die too."

"Oh my God." Ford put his hand on his head in disbelief. "What…what do we do?"

Stan knew what they had to do. And it would be the hardest thing he's ever had to do in his life. "We gotta tell the kids."


	2. Breaking the News

Ford and Stan thought about allowing the kids to have their party, allow them to bask in their heroic victory over Bill Cipher, allow them to enjoy their innocence for just a little while longer.

Unfortunately, fate had other ideas. Dipper and Mabel came bounding in with huge grins on their faces.

"Hey, we noticed you guys left the party! Don't tell me you old men are tired already?" Dipper teased.

"I heard the phone ring! Was it Mom and Dad? They said in their last letter they would try to make it up here so we could spend our birthday with our whole family! Are they on their way?" Mabel asked excitedly. She noticed that Stan had tears in his eyes.

"Oh no, Grunkle Stan! Was it the IRS on the phone? Do we need to make the shack look like a church again to get us tax exempt? I can do my sad orphan girl schtick!" Mabel joked, having no idea of the cruel irony of that statement.

"Kids…it…it turns out you guys are going to be staying in Gravity Falls for a while longer," Ford said in a misguided attempt to soften the news.

"Wow, Grunkle Ford! You decided to take both me and Dipper in as apprentices?" Mabel said excitedly.

"Um…no, sweetheart," Ford said, unable to look her in the eyes.

"Oh, I get it! You're taking Dipper on, while I'm gonna learn how to be an awesome con man from this guy," she said putting her hand on Stan's shoulder.

Stan couldn't take it anymore. He had to get this over with. "Kids…your parents were on their way up here for your birthday…they were in a car accident."

The smiles quickly dropped from the kids' faces.

"Are they okay?" Mabel asked.

"No…your dad's in the hospital…it's…it's bad."

"What…what about Mom?" Dipper asked.

Stan bit his lip and teared up. "I'm sorry…she didn't make it."

Both the twins' eyes widened in shock. Dipper's face was emotionless, like his brain couldn't process what he was just told. Mabel, to the Grunkles' surprise, burst out into laughter.

"Oh wow, Grunkle Stan! You saved your best prank for last! And…and you're even crying too…I didn't know you were such good actors."

But as her uncles continued to cry, it finally dawned on her that this may not be a prank. "C'mon…this isn't funny. Where's Justin Kerprank? Come on...please...please stop…it can't be! It can't!" Mabel said, her voice growing in desperation and heartbreak with every word.

Dipper was crying, already accepting the truth. He knew his uncles wouldn't joke about something like that. Stan opened his arms and Dipper wept against Stan's chest. Neither cared about being "manly" at the moment.

"No! No! Dipper and I…we've gotta go home! Mom…Mom's waiting for us!" Mabel cried.

"Mabel…" Ford came over and bent down in front of her. He used his hand to cup her cheek. "She's gone, honey."

Mabel broke down tears. Ford tried to comfort her, but she pushed right past him into Stan's arms. Ford couldn't help but be hurt by this and was ashamed of himself for thinking such petty thoughts when his niece and nephew were suffering such a terrible loss.

Though Mabel was devasted about the death of her mother, she knew that she still had one surviving parent left. So in a shaky voice, she said, "I want to see Daddy."


	3. The Cold, Hard, Facts

They reached the hospital quickly, but not as quickly as they would normally have. Given the circumstances, this was, ironically, one of the only times that Stan didn't drive like a maniac. The accident made Stan rethink driving so recklessly, especially with his precious charges in the car.

There were several cop cars around waiting at the hospital. It brought the kids to the gritty reality of this situation. Not knowing what else to do, they locked hands. Whatever happened, they were going through it together.

Inside, they noticed a group of officers surrounding a middle-aged man who looked truly shell-shocked. When he saw the kids, his bloodshot eyes filled with tears as he tried to step towards them. The police kept their hands on him, for both his safety and the safety of the children.

Dipper noticed no one who would look the kids in the eye, which made him realize he needed to prepare for the worst.

Mabel didn't even notice as she headed straight for the front desk.

"I want to see my daddy!" She demanded through her tears.

The receptionist gave her a sympathetic look before leading the family into a room where someone who looked like a social worker was waiting. The room was bright and colorful, clearly intended to provide security and comfort to younger children in times of crisis, but it did very little for Dipper and Mabel. They just wanted an update on their father.

In just a short while the doctor entered, and quite subtly the family moved in closer to each other, terrified of whatever news they were about to hear.

"Where's our daddy? I want to see my daddy!" Mabel demanded.

The doctor gave the girl a heartbroken look. Before he let the family in, he needed to inform them of his patient's condition. "I'm afraid his injuries are very serious. The car hit the truck going full speed. The impact was head on."

Dipper's mind flashed to what it must have been like for his poor parents to helplessly stare down something so terrifying. He hoped it happened so quickly that they didn't have time to see it coming. He hoped they didn't have time to be afraid.

"I want to see my mom," he said in a small voice.

The doctor gave a concerned look. "Are you not yet aware that she's-?"

"I know she's dead," Dipper said bluntly. "But I want to see her…I want to see her…body." Dipper felt sick referring to his beloved mother no longer as a person, but a body, an inanimate object.

"I can't," Mabel cried. "I can't see Mom. Not yet."

"It's okay, Mabel. You go see Dad. I'll be fine."

"I can't let you go alone!"

"He won't be alone." Stan stepped up and put his hands on Dipper's shoulders. "I'll go with him."

Dipper didn't object. In fact, he felt better knowing he didn't have to face this alone.

Ford shot a meaningful look at Stan. Since Stan was going with Dipper to see their mother, he was the one who had to go with Mabel to see her dying father.


	4. Mom

For as distant Stan was with his nephew, he knew his niece-in-law even less. The most remarkable thing about her was how _normal_ she seemed — at least to be marrying into the eccentric Pines family. In fact, the first time he met her in person was at the wedding. He was floored by how kind and beautiful, yet, grounded she was. He always pictured his nephew marrying someone as outgoing and spontaneous as he was. Stan could only contribute it to opposites attracting.

And boy, did they attract. During their wedding, they didn't take their eyes off each other and hardly paid the guests much mind. It was clear they were madly in love with each other.

It made the situation sting even more, because Stan knew that even if his nephew pulled through, he would have to go through the rest of his life without the woman he loved.

Stan was so lost in his thoughts about his nephew, he didn't fully notice when he and Dipper arrived in the morgue.

The doctor noticed Stan daydreaming and cleared his throat to alert him of the situation.

"Sir, we still need someone to officially I.D. this body and—"

"I wanna do it," Dipper's tiny voice broke through.

"I don't think that's—"

"I'm her son, and she was my mom. I want to do this," Dipper said with his voice shaking and seeming smaller with each word.

The doctor slowly pulled back the white sheet to reveal the face of his beloved mother. There was a giant gash over her face and bruises on her neck and shoulders. The doctor kept the white sheet covering most of the rest of her body, sparing the boy from having to see the full extent of the damage to his mother's body.

"Mom…" Dipper let out a sob and laid his head against her chest like he had done so many times when he needed comfort. His mom was the only person he never had to worry about showing his feelings to.

But there was no warmth, no heartbeat, no reassuring words being whispered in his ear. And there never would be again.

The doctor made eye contact with Stan. He gave the doctor a nod to indicate this indeed was the body of Mrs. Pines.

Now that the deceased had been officially identified, the doctor stepped out to give the grieving family members some privacy.

Dipper adjusted his head slightly so he could see his mom's face. It was a horrible sight, but he couldn't look away, because he knew this was the last time he would ever see his mom.

"I'm such a bad son," Dipper whispered.

"What are you talking about, kid?" Stan asked gently.

"I…I should be with Dad! He's still alive, and he needs me, but Mom…I know she's dead but…I don't want her to be alone here! I know it's stupid! I know she's gone, and it doesn't matter! But…but…" Dipper sobbed even harder. "I don't know what else to do…"

Stan didn't know what to do either. It unnerved him to see Dipper this way. Dipper was always so in control of whatever situation he was thrown into. He could be taking on a triangle demon, a spoiled child with too much money, or even his own concept of manliness, and yet, he was always in control. Dipper showed none of this control now as he helplessly sobbed over his mother's body.

What was more disturbing for Stan was seeing how much the boy's relationship with his mom mirrored his own relationship with his mother. It was clear that this woman was a loving, caring, confidante that her son could always rely on, but now she was gone, unable to protect her child any longer.

Protecting Dipper would be his job now.

He hesitantly put his hands on Dipper's shoulders, not wanting to pull Dipper away from his mom but wanting to do whatever can to comfort him. Stan was surprised when Dipper laid one of his hands over Stan's and leaned his head against Stan's arm.

"There's nothing wrong with that, bud. You do whatever you gotta do. Both of your folks know how much you love them, and how much they love you."

Dipper was comforted by Stan's words. He had never heard his uncle speak so softly and sincerely to him, so he knew Stan was telling him the truth.

His mom often called him "her brave little man." Now, he had to be her brave little man now more than ever. His mom had always been there for him, Mabel, and Dad. He had to be there for them now.

"We need to go to Dad," Dipper whispered. Stan nodded solemnly.

Dipper looked at his beloved mother one final time. Despite all the wounds and her disfigurement, she was still the most beautiful woman in the world. That was how he'll always remember her.


	5. Broken Heart

Ford tried to think of something he could say or do as he walked with Mabel down a seemingly endless maze of hallways towards her father's room, but words simply failed his brilliant mind.

When they arrived outside the room, the nurse paused, as if wanting to find a way to warn the child of what she was about to see, but he knew there were no combination of words that could soothe her. This was something she would have to face head on.

When they opened the door, Mabel's eyes widened at horror at what she was witnessing.

Her father was lying there motionless on the hospital bed. The loving face Mabel had looked up to nearly every day since her birth was covered in blood and totally disfigured. His right arm had been ripped right off. The arm he used to make his living as a cartoonist and to draw countless silly doodles on napkins, bulletins, and anything else he could find to entertain and delight her and Dipper on lazy evenings back in California. Both of his legs were broken and every part of him appeared to have been impacted by the horrific crash.

Ford expected Mabel to wail, to vomit, to faint. Ford didn't know his own nephew from Adam, and yet, he wanted to do all those things. Instead, he was shocked when Mabel pulled a chair right beside his bed, took his left hand, and spoke in a calm, loving voice.

"Hi, Daddy…don't worry, everything is going to be alright now. I'm right here…and Dipper will be here soon. I'm going to take good care of you from now on, just like you always took care of me and Dipper. I'll make you lots of Mabel juice and soup, and you'll feel better in no time. I'll read you comics in those silly voices just like you used to. And most importantly, I'll always love you," she assured as she kissed his bloody forehead tenderly.

Ford was amazed at both her heart and strength.

At that moment Dipper and Stan entered the room.

"Oh my God…" was the only thing Stan could whisper as he looked at his nephew…his family.

"Dad..." Dipper whimpered as his shaking legs managed to make it to his sister's side. He put his arm around Mabel — both to soothe her and to keep himself from toppling over.

"Dipper's here now, Daddy," Mabel assured her father.

"Yeah, Dad, I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere," Dipper promised. He knew it was logically futile, but somewhere deep inside, he thought that if he told his dad he wasn't going anywhere, his dad wouldn't go anywhere either.

Stan and Ford looked at each other trying to figure out what on earth to do, but neither coming up with a halfway-decent answer.

Suddenly the doctor appeared looking shell-shocked. Stan and Ford could see tears in his eyes and knew that whatever this was, it wasn't good news.

Mabel and Dipper were too distracted by their father to even notice the doctor enter. The doctor wanted to take advantage of this and pulled the adults in close so the children wouldn't have to hear this from him.

"He's braindead," the doctor explained.

He showed x-rays and charts that displayed Ford's worst fears: there was no activity in the brain. The nephew he had never met was dead, and Dipper and Mabel were essentially orphans

Poor Stan didn't fully understand the true finality of what it was he was seeing. "So, there's some drug you can give him to bring some activity back, right?"

The doctor looked prepared to explain things, but Ford spoke first. Stan deserved to hear this from his brother. "Stanley…he's essentially dead. There's nothing more medical science can do for him. I'm so sorry, Stanley…so very sorry."

Stan had a million questions, but right now only one mattered. "How on Earth do we tell them?"

The doctor sighed sadly at the sweet children speaking to their father, none the wiser to the fact that he couldn't even hear them.

"Be honest with them. Be there for them," the doctor whispered as he left to give the family some privacy.

Stan and Ford each took a deep breath and gave each other a nervous glance before they slowly walked over to their dear niece and nephew.

Ford put his six-fingered hands on Dipper while Stan knelt down and rubbed Mabel's back.

Mabel gave him a sad smile. "I know he's really sick, but I'm going to make him better! You'll see!" she said, giving that same determined look that she had given when she had revived his memory just a week ago.

Stan bit his lip, unable to tell his niece that any efforts to help her father were futile. Ford decided that he needed to be the one to explain things to both children. Keeping one hand on Dipper's shoulder, he used his other arm to pull the girl onto his lap, causing her to give a shocked gasp at his affection. It made Ford wince to realize how cold he had been to her.

"Do you guys know what it means to be braindead?" Ford asked as tears filled his eyes.

Dipper instantly sobbed. Stan tried pulling him into a hug, but Dipper pushed away as he laid over his dad's body.

"No, he can't be! I can't be too late!" Dipper screamed with a horror that Mabel had never heard from him. Seeing her brother like this was more terrifying than anything Stan or Ford could tell her.

"Is…Is that like what I feel when I'm in math class?" Mabel knew it wasn't, but she hoped making a joke would make the reality less horrifying.

Ford shook his head sadly as he cupped her face. "It means there's no activity in the brain. For all intents and purposes, it means he's dead, honey."

"No!" Mabel pushed herself off his lap. "No, it doesn't, Grunkle Ford! His heart monitor is still going! His heart is still beating! He's alive!"

Ford sighed sadly as he pointed to the machine. "Mabel, the only thing making his heart beat is that machine. When that's unplugged, his heart will stop. And he'll be…he'll be with your mom again," Ford said, trying to soften the blow.

"No! We just keep the machine on until he gets better! I'll take good care of him!"

"Mabel…his brain is _dead_…it can't get better."

"I made Grunkle Stan's brain better!"

Stan bowed his head, unable to look at his niece…his hero.

"Sweetheart, Stan was still alive, but your dad is dead. I'm sorry, honey."

"No, he's not! You're wrong!"

"Mabel, honey, you don't understand…"

Ford couldn't have picked a worse way to word things.

"I DO UNDERSTAND! I MAY NOT BE AS SMART AS YOU, BUT I'M NOT AS STUPID AS YOU THINK I AM!"

Ford was startled. What on earth gave her the idea he thought she was stupid? "Mabel…"

"HIS HEART IS STILL BEATING! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, BECAUSE…BECAUSE…YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE A HEART!"

Ford gasped in shock, her words stinging so badly. Mabel turned her back on Ford to give all her attention back to her father.

Ford gave her a broken-hearted look before leaving out the door.


	6. Burden

Dipper looked towards the door Ford had exited out of, heartbroken.

He wanted to continue sobbing, to break down completely, and more than anything, Dipper wanted his mom. Whenever he felt too weak to continue and just needed to cry, his mom would take him into her lap and hold him until he felt strong enough to face the world. But she wasn't here now, his dad wasn't coming back, and the worst part was he felt he had to explain this horrid reality to his sister.

"Mabel, I know it's hard but…Ford's right."

"I—I can't believe you're taking his side," Mabel whispered, her voice full of heartbreak and betrayal.

"Mabel, there are no 'sides' to take. It's…just reality."

"I don't care what you and Grunkle Ford say! I'm not gonna give up on Dad!"

Dipper sighed, knowing there was nothing he could do to help her right now. He turned his attention to Stan.

"I'm going to go check on Ford. Watch out for her please," Dipper whispered.

"I can't believe you would leave Dad when he needs you," Mabel said coldly.

As few tears slipped from Dipper's eyes. He already felt like the worst son in the world to have not gone to his father sooner, but there was nothing he could do for his father. He was gone. That was a weight Dipper would have to carry the rest of his life.

—

Dipper wandered aimlessly through the halls of the hospital looking for Ford. Truth be told, he wasn't looking as hard as he could have. He felt like Mabel could be right: he should be with his father. The reality was, he was afraid. He didn't want to face this any more than Mabel did. How could a day that had started with so much hope and promise go so wrong? It was the kind of horrible where Dipper genuinely wondered if things would ever be all right again.

He found Ford sulking at a table near a vending machine, isolated from everyone else.

When Ford noticed the boy heading towards him, he felt even more ashamed. Dipper shouldn't be focusing any energy on him right now.

Dipper sat down beside Ford without a word. There were no words right now.

They sat in unmoving silence for a long time before Ford spoke. "Does she really believe that I think she's stupid?"

"Mabel's sensitive about that stuff. She always has been. We've always been compared to each other, not so much by our parents…" Dipper let a few tears slip realizing he never appreciated enough how his parents never tried to compare like when the rest of the world always did. "But in school, our teachers and the other students always compared us. She's…not as good at school as I am. But she's smart about a lot of other stuff that I'm not!"

Ford thought about how this mirrored his and Stanley's relationship. It made Ford guilty to realize that Dipper appreciated his twin's worth more than he did.

"I'm supposed to be the smart guy, but I've been wrong about so many things that Mabel was right about, like…the portal."

"The portal?" Ford asked, confused.

"Mabel…Mabel is the whole reason that you are here. That night in the basement, we found the portal. I thought it was something bad, and I didn't trust Stan, so I told her to shut it down." Saying it out loud physically stung Dipper, considering all that portal had given him. "But she didn't listen to me. She trusted Stan. And—"

"And it brought me back — allowed me to reconcile with Stan…" Ford finished as he realized that, like his brother, she had been instrumental in bringing him back. And, also like his brother, showed her no appreciation for it.

In that moment, Ford was certain she was right: he really didn't have a heart.


	7. Happy

Mabel burrowed deep into sweater town while still holding her father's hand. When she felt Stan's touch, she peaked out from under her sweater for just a moment before burrowing deeper into it, as if she could make all of this disappear if she tried hard enough.

"Mabel—" Stan started.

"I don't want to hear any more about brain death or machines or science junk!" Mabel's muffled voice demanded.

"C'mon, kid, do I really look like the type that's smart enough to talk about that nerdy stuff?"

"I always thought you were smart," Mabel insisted from under her sweater.

Stan gave a small smile despite everything. He had no idea what he had done for her to hold him in such high esteem, but it meant the world to him.

He put an arm around her and pulled her close to him. "Well, ain't that a coincidence? I've always thought that you were really smart too…just like your dad." His voice caught as the gravity of what was happening began to crush him.

"Really?" Mabel whimpered, still under her sweater, but appearing to come closer to the opening.

"You bet. You remind me of him in so many ways."

"I do? Like what?" Mabel said as the top of her head surfaced.

"Well, you both are crazy artistic, I remember when your pops was a kid, he would steal my newspapers every single morning to use as cover for his art projects. I didn't get to read the sports section all summer!" Remembering was bringing a smile to Stan's face, even as tears had been building.

Mabel still had her mouth covered, but she was at least looking up at Stan.

"And remember your 'boy-crazy' phase? Well, your dad went through his own girl-crazy phase. He was pretty much in that phase until he met your mom."

Mabel smiled in spite of herself.

"Your dad was also crazy kind, like one morning he nearly burned the kitchen down trying to make breakfast for me."

Mabel managed a tiny giggle as she herself remembered turning the kitchen into a war zone on more than one occasion making her various (and rarely edible) creations.

"You got his talent for sweet talking too. I swear your father could talk his way out of anything! Just like you could!" He said as he noogied her head softly.

"And you got his eyes, the way they always get a slight gleam when you get an idea, or got some crazy scheme, or how they become big when your sad…" Stan's heart broke seeing how large Mabel's eyes were right now.

Mabel was quiet for a very long time. "Daddy won't be able to do any of those things ever again…will he?"

Stan could only nod.

"Daddy always wanted to make me and Dipper happy, and we always wanted him to be happy, because he was so fun when he was happy…" Mabel said with a shaky voice.

Stan was silent but rubbed her back.

Mabel then looked at Stan, took a deep breath, and asked, "Do you think Daddy will be happy if we let be with Mommy?"

Stan thought about his nephew: how full of life he was, how much he loved his wife, and how happy they were together.

"Yes, Mabel, I think he would be happy with her."

Mabel's eyes filled with tears. "Is it okay if I'm not happy?"

Stan could only nod as the two embraced in tears, both wondering how the right decision could hurt so much.


	8. Letting Go

Stan just held his dear sweet niece as she continued sobbing. Mabel couldn't deny it felt good to be held and comforted. Typically, when Stan showed affection, it would be toward her and Dipper together. It was nice to be soothed on her own for a bit. It almost gave her an assurance that things might one day be alright again. If nothing else, it did confirm that even after today, she would still have people in her life to love her and care for her.

Dipper and Ford re-entered the room. To both his and Ford's surprise, Mabel instantly went over to embrace her brother. Dipper quickly recovered from the shock and reciprocated.

"I'm so sorry, Dipper! I didn't mean to be so selfish!"

"No, no, Mabel, you weren't selfish. You were just trying to help."

Stan and Ford looked on as the two children remained locked in their embrace. Here these children were amid the worst and most difficult thing any child could go through, yet they were showing so much strength and maturity. More important than anything, they were supporting each other.

Ford especially was ashamed. He had kicked his brother out of his life over something as simple as a stupid science project. These kids' world was falling apart around them, but they weren't leaving each other for anything.

Stan noticed Ford had tears building up and went to put his arm around him. Ford looked over to find Stan with a look on his face that simply said mistakes were made on both sides.

Dipper and Mabel whispered among themselves. After a long moment Mabel broke free and looked up at Ford, her eyes a painful red.

"G-Grunkle Ford…can I ask you something?" Mabel whispered in this tone that communicated regret for her earlier words, and at the same time, a fear of him. Both of those things shook the scientist to his core.

He knelt to make himself small and less intimidating to her. "Of course, sweetheart."

"Is…is Daddy hurting by being hooked up to that machine?"

"No, honey, he doesn't feel anything."

"Me and Grunkle Stan talked about it and….and Dipper and I want him to be with Mommy…" The poor girl said in a small, shaky voice.

Ford put a firm hand on her shoulder. "That's a very brave decision."

"But…but can we do it after midnight?" she asked.

Ford looked confused until Dipper spoke up. "We don't want both our parents to die on our birthday."

The explanation hit Ford like an anvil: _it was still Dipper's and Mabel's birthday._

What a horrific memory to forever associate with a day that is supposed to be happy. At thirteen, it seemed that these children had been robbed from ever having a happy birthday again.

Ford gave them both a hug. "I think your father would want to be with you for your birthday."

For the next several hours, Dipper and Mabel laid by their father's side. They wanted to feel his gentle embrace for a final time. Since he only had one arm remaining, they had to switch sides to be held by him.

The remaining hours appeared to be simultaneously slow and yet, far too quick as the midnight hour drew near — marking the end of their thirteenth birthday and the end of their father's life.

"Happy birthday, Dipper," Mabel whispered in a voice that communicated it had been everything but.

"Happy birthday, Mabel," Dipper said with a tone that mirrored his sister's.

Once midnight had passed, the kids gave permission for doctor to pull the plug.

He had explained his heart would not stop right away. The kids now had to endure the agony of watching their father's body shut down for good. They didn't have to stay if they didn't want to, but they couldn't let their father die alone.

His heart monitor began to slow. More seconds passed between each beep. The kids were torn between wanting the beeps to end so their father could be at peace and wanting the beeps to keep going so he could be with them a little longer.

Ford, wanting to make up for his insensitivity earlier, kept his hands firmly on Mabel's shoulder to keep her steady as she sobbed watching her father's life slip away. Dipper couldn't even look as the monitor made its final beeps, so he just buried his face into Stan's chest.

Finally, the beeps stopped. Mr. Pines was gone.


	9. Our New Reality

They arrived back at the Shack to the heart-wrenching sight of a birthday banner and balloons and decorations of a birthday party that had been brought to a tragic halt. That celebration would never be continued. It felt as though there would never be a reason to celebrate anything ever again.

Stan sighed sadly as he glanced back to find Dipper and Mabel leaning against each other passed out after being physically, mentally, and emotionally drained of all they had.

"C'mon, let's get them to bed," Stan whispered to Ford.

Stan opened the passenger seat of the car, unstrapped Dipper, and took the boy into his arms.

The poor boy began to stir as his sleepy eyes looked up at Stan. Despite being exhausted, he was still trying to be a man.

"I can walk you know…" his tired voice slurred.

"Shh, I know you can champ, but I got you. It's okay," Stan forced himself to say, even though things felt so far from okay.

Even though Dipper was still apprehensive, he was too weak to argue and fell right back to sleep.

Ford's hands shook at the prospect of picking up Mabel. After their interactions today, he was terrified he would find a way to mess up the simple task.

"She won't bite," Stan whispered as he glanced over his shoulder at his brother.

Ford took a deep breath and tenderly took the child into his arms.

She looked up at him with tired eyes like her brother's and tried vocalizing some form of apology. "Grunkle Ford…I'm sor—"

Ford wouldn't let her finish. "No, sweetheart, I'm the one who should be sorry. I want you to know I think you are brilliant. And I want to thank you for bringing me home."

Mabel managed a watery smile as she fell back to sleep in his arms.

When they reached the attic bedroom, they were crestfallen to find most of their bags packed. They were fully prepared to return home…to their parents…not knowing they would never get the chance.

They laid the children on their respective beds and tucked a blanket over each of them.

Without another word, Stan trudged out of the room. Ford followed him downstairs. Instead of going to bed, Stan proceeded to clean up all the birthday decorations.

"Stanley, I think that can wait until tomorrow. You must be exhausted."

"I don't want the kids to wake up to this," he said curtly.

Ford nodded. There's no way the kids would be in a mood the celebrate.

"Here, I'll help you."

Ford assisted Stan in picking up the decorations, streamers, and gift wrapping paper.

"So…how are you holding up?" Ford asked his brother.

"Fine." Stan was silent for a moment. Then he said in a small voice, "I just can't believe they're really gone."

"Did you know them very well?" Ford asked.

"It wasn't like with the kids. We weren't super close or anything. But…they were good people. They were family, you know? Now, it's up to me to look after their kids."

"I'm sorry, Stan. I know that's a huge responsibility."

"It's okay, Sixer. I love those kids. I'll do anything for them. I'm just sorry…that I can't go with you."

"Go with me? Where?"

"Sailing. You know, going around the world in pursuit of science or whatever…"

"Stanley…"

"If you find any treasure, bring some back for me—"

"Stan—"

"And hey, if you find any babes out there, you have my number so—"

"STANLEY!"

Stan was startled at Ford's outburst. He looked to see his brother was wearing a hurt expression.

"Leaving you behind is the worst mistake I've ever made in my life. Do you really think I'm going to do it twice?"

"You…you wanna stay here with me and the kids? But I thought…"

"Stanley, the whole reason I wanted to go sailing with you wasn't because of the scientific discovery, or praise, or even the adventure. I wanted you to go with me because I had already lost so much time with you, and I'm not losing anymore. Putting scientific discovery over what matters most…it cost me greatly. I'm not allowing it to cost me any more."

Stan smiled as his eyes misted up a little. "Domestic life won't be quite as thrilling."

"That didn't stop us from having adventures as kids. If I remember correctly, you were the only kid on earth that could turn spring cleaning into an adventure. Don't tell me old age has changed that in you?" Ford playfully teased.

Stan chuckled. "Not a chance, Sixer."

"I must admit, I don't know what I can do to help, but I'm willing to try…for the sake of those kids."

"Right now, I think just being there for them is enough." Stan gave a reassuring smile.

"But I know I've got quite a lot to learn about raising a family," said Ford.

"Don't worry, Poindexter." Stan put his hand on Ford's arm. "If I remember you right, you were always a fast learner."


	10. Packed

It wasn't long before social services arrived at their doorstep.

"Kids, get upstairs. Ford and I gotta talk to this guy alone," said Stan.

The kids felt uneasy but obeyed their uncle and went to their rooms. From their attic room, they attempted to listen in to the conversation downstairs. They couldn't make out much, but keywords like "guardian" and "custody" stood out the most.

Dipper instantly assumed the worst. "Mabel, that guy works for the state. They're deciding what they're gonna do with us."

"I thought we were staying with Stan and Ford? I mean Grunkle Stan's looked after us all summer, why would he stop?"

"Because this isn't just for the summer, Mabel! This is _forever_!" Dipper said growing more upset and concerned. "Do you have any idea how much money it costs to raise two kids? Food? Clothes? College? There's no way Stan will pay all that just to take care of us!"

"But if they won't take us, who will?" Mabel asked growing concerned as well. "What's gonna happen to us, Dipper?"

"They'll probably put us in foster care," he said defeated.

The idea of going to foster care was scary for Mabel, but she tried to look on the bright side to console her distressed brother. "Well, at least we'll be together."

Dipper looked at her sadly. "Not if two separate families adopt us."

"What? They can't do that! We're twins! We're a package deal! They wouldn't do that…would they?"

"They do it all the time."

Mabel was trying hard not to panic now. She forced a smile on her face. "Hey! What are we even worrying about! Stan and Ford would never send us away…right?"

"They were going to go sailing. It's their dream. They didn't want kids."

"But…but they love us. They love us."

"They love us." Dipper didn't doubt that, but he wasn't sure if that would be enough for them to give up their dream to take care of them.

"They love us," Mabel said in a desperate voice.

The two kids sat on Dipper's bed not speaking a word to each other. They were startled by a knock on the door. They feared it would be the social worker coming to take them away. They held each other's hand tight as they braced themselves for whatever their fates will be.

Stan slowly opened the door, with Ford right behind him.

"Hey, kids, we gotta talk," Stan started. He looked over at the kids' still-full suitcases. "Oh good, you're still packed."

But before he could get another word out, Dipper and Mabel hurled themselves at Stan's feet and clung to his pant legs.

"Please don't send us away, Grunkle Stan!" Mabel pleaded. "We'll be good, we promise!"

"We'll work in the shack to pay for our food!" Dipper offered.

"I can have Grenda rip off my braces, so you won't have to pay for it!"

"You…you can get a lot of tax benefits from having kids!"

"Stop it! Both of you!" Stan commanded.

Dipper and Mabel instantly backed off, not wanting to anger Stan as he laid down their sentence.

Stan gave a reassuring, but also sad, smile. "You two aren't going anywhere."

The kids hurled themselves into Stan's arms, crying and thanking him. Stan felt his heart break. He knew he hadn't been the most affectionate guardian, but it killed him that these kids could think for even a second that he would leave them. "There's no way I'm sending you kids away. We're a family. I know this summer I've been a lousy caregiver, but that's gonna change, I promise."

"But…why did you want us packed?" Dipper asked as tears of relief continued flowing from his eyes.

"Cause we're going back to Piedmont."


	11. On the Road

"Kids, I promise you this won't hurt you. It's just something to help you relax," Ford pleaded as he offered anti-anxiety pills to the children who were literally shaking at the prospect of traveling the same road their parents were on when they met their fate.

"No," Dipper refuted with as much authority as his shaking voice could muster. "This is the last time we'll ever travel to our childhood home. I'm going to be awake when we do."

Ford gave a defeated sigh. He had never taken Dipper as the overtly sentimental type, but then again, this was a heartbreakingly unique circumstance.

Poor Mabel wanted nothing more than to pop a pill and sleep through this whole nightmare, but Dipper had gone through so much to be there for her all summer. She wanted to try her best to do the same for him.

Stan decided that Ford should drive. There was not one bone in his body tempted to speed this time, but the kids deserved to be at ease knowing a more cautious driver was behind the wheel.

The trip was made in almost complete silence, with only the soft buzz on the air conditioner for white noise. Whenever Stan would collect enough of his nerve to look in the backseat of the car, he would find the kids trembling while silent tears flowed.

Stan wished he knew of something, _anything _that he could say just to make it hurt a little less. He would scan his freshly renewed mind and memories for things that had made the kids laugh over the summer: corny jokes, making fun of Lil' Gideon, affectionate noogies — none of these things were enough to bring the kids out of the doldrums of their depression. Stan wondered if anything ever would.

About halfway through their journey, right near the state line between Oregon and California, it had begun drizzling lightly, which only made the kids more afraid. Not helping was the increase of eighteen-wheelers on the road carrying their products from big factories in California to places along the pacific west coast.

At one point, Ford had to swerve slightly to avoid an eighteen-wheeler traveling a little too close to that yellow line that almost acts as a line between life and death. This minor incident sent Dipper over the emotional edge that he had been dangling over the entire trip.

"WHY COULDN'T THEY HAVE JUST GOTTEN OUT OF THE WAY? WHY?" He cried out with a pain that was even more intense than that horrible night in the hospital.

At first, Stan and Ford just assumed the poor boy was crying, letting out all those tears that he was taught to hold inside by a society that didn't accept that men can have deep and painful emotions too.

But then, the poor boy started hyperventilating.

Stan and Ford gave each other a look that communicated that they both had deeply personal reasons to understand what exactly was going on.

Stan hadn't experienced panic attacks until he was a grown man, but Ford remembered being no older than Dipper when his started.

Ford also remembered his father not showing him the slightest sympathy and instead telling him to "man up."

Ford may not know anything about raising kids, but he did know that they deserved better.

Without a word, he pulled over to the shoulder of the highway. Considering the circumstances, he decided to pull all four wheels onto the grass to alleviate any anxieties that the kids would have in concerns to their safety.

Mabel was staring at her usually unmovable brother as he was completely consumed by his fears, shame, and anxieties. It terrified her that she had no idea how to help him. It made her feel so useless.

Ford opened the car door and unbuckled the boy's very tight seatbelt. The tightness of the rope couldn't be helping with his ability to breathe.

He lifted the boy into his arms and carried him several feet away from the car.

"Why…why couldn't they…why couldn't they have just gotten out of the way? Why did they…leave us?" The poor boy sputtered and stuttered through his tears. All the while just fighting, to get a breath of fresh air.

"Shh…it was an accident, Dipper…a horrible, tragic accident. Just an accident…" Ford soothed as he rubbed the boy's back while taking deep, calming breaths and encouraging the child to follow suit.

Unfortunately, the constant sound of vehicles, both large and small, racing down the highway wasn't doing Dipper any favors.

Ford noticed this and used one hand to press Dipper's ear closed, while the other held him for dear life.

"I'm here, Dipper. I'm here. I won't let anything happen to you. I'm going to protect you and Mabel for the rest of my life. I promise, Dipper, I promise. I need you to trust me, Dipper. Please trust me."

Dipper sniffled loudly as he slowly started returning to his physical body and regaining a little bit of control.

After a long moment, Dipper finally caught his breath enough to ask Ford in a tiny, yet desperate voice. "I think I want a pill now."

Ford nodded as he grabbed a bottle of water and a pill and gave it to Dipper. The boy took them as he returned to the backseat of the car. His eyes were already beginning to droop as he settled back beside Mabel.

"Sorry, sis…" Dipper said groggily, feeling like he let her down by losing control of himself.

"Shh…it's okay, bro-bro." Mabel gently pulled Dipper's head onto her shoulder. "It's okay. Just go to sleep."

Dipper didn't need any more prompting as he closed his eyes and relaxed against his sister's shoulder.

"Would you like one too, dear?" Ford asked softly.

"No, I want to stay up in case Dipper needs me," Mabel said as she hugged him protectively.

Ford smiled at the girl. "You're a good sister."

Mabel managed a tiny smile back.

When Ford settled back into the driver's seat, Stan gave him a proud smile. "What did I tell you, Sixer? Fast learner."

The rest of the trip was quiet. It was late when they pulled into the driveway of the lavished, two-story, white house.

"Talk about a downgrade…" Stan whispered, as he thought about his old, wooden Shack and the idea that he now had to make it a home to children who had known such a high standard of living.

Ford gently rubbed Dipper's back to alert him of their arrival.

Meanwhile, Mabel showed Stan where the spare house key was.

When they opened the door and flicked on the lights, a heart-wrenching sight greeted them.

Hanging in the kitchen was a banner that read: "WELCOME HOME DIPPER AND MABEL."


	12. Everything Changes

"IT'S NOT FAIR!" Dipper shouted as he ripped off the banner and kicked the new backpack and school supplies sitting on the floor.

Mabel had the exact opposite reaction. Seeing the decorations and preparations that her parents had set up triggered something inside of her mind that said that they weren't really gone.

"Mommy? Daddy? Where are you? Are you guys hiding? Dipper and I are home now…" Her lip quivered as her foolish hope allowed her for one moment to forget that her parents were gone. "We're home…"

Suddenly, alerted by the noise, Mabel's cat peered out from behind the door.

The cat went over to rub up against her beloved master. Mabel managed a shaky smile as she squeezed the cat close, cuddling her, just as she had right before being sent away for the fresh air of Oregon.

Stan's face fell as his shoulders slumped. "I totally forgot about the cat. Mabel, sweetie—"

Ford shot Stan a glare and shook his head, clearly not wanting Mabel to hear whatever Stan needed to say.

Unfortunately, the answer would soon become obvious.

Ford began sneezing violently. His eyes grew puffy and he was clearly in a great amount of pain.

Mabel hugged her cat tighter, but she knew exactly what was going on. On top of everything else, she was about to lose her beloved cat too.

Ford tried to work through his allergic reaction to say something to her, but Mabel gathered the cat into her arms and rushed out of Stan and Ford's sight.

It took Ford several minutes to get over his allergic reaction, but when he did, he was desperate to discover what he could do to make this better, to not cost Mabel her beloved pet. "I can start taking insulin shots again, or perhaps we could keep the cat shaved or—"

"Face it, Sixer, having a cat around would make the shack unbearable for you."

"I don't care. I don't want her to lose anything else, especially because of me."

"She'll still have Waddles," Stan assured.

"But the cat is from her childhood home, a home she's about to lose regardless! It's not fair that she should be expected to lose something else just because of me."

"Trust me, Sixer, Mabel would rather have you healthy than to have the cat."

"I'm not so sure…" Ford whispered, thinking Mabel probably wasn't too fond of him right now.

"I'll go talk to her," Dipper offered before going after his sister.

When Dipper left, Stan looked around the house. "It's beautiful. We should be able to get a pretty penny for it."

"We're going to sell it?" Ford asked.

"What else can we do? We live too far away to really maintain it. Besides, I can put the money away for the kids." Stan's eyes caught a portrait his nephew and his wife and younger versions of Dipper and Mabel. They were on a beach, dressed in white shirts (though Mabel and her dad had added just a "touch" of tie-dye to their shirts for color) and khaki pants.

"But keep the memories…always keep the memories," Stan whispered, as he vowed to keep his late nephew and in-laws' memory alive.

—

Dipper tried rationalizing with his sister as she aggressively placed all the cat supplies in a box. "C'mon, Mabel, you'll still have Waddles. And he's a lot more fun than a cat! They probably wouldn't have liked each other anyway."

"That's not the point, Dipper! I'm tired of everything changing and being taken away from us!"

"I know, Sis, but…now we don't have to leave Gravity Falls. It's not like we have friends here anyway. And we get to stay with Stan and Ford."

"Ford's the reason I can't keep my kitty!"

"Mabel, it's not his fault. You know it's not his fault. Ford would do anything to let you keep Ms. Whiskerton…""

"I know," Mabel said dejectedly. "It's just not fair."

"I know, Sis, but we'll find her a good home, the best," Dipper said as he gave the cat an affectionate pat. "Hey! Why don't we give her to Lazy Susan? Then, you can visit her anytime you want!"

Mabel gave a small smile, but then her eyes grew dark again. "What about the drive back? What if Ford starts sneezing and he…?"

Her and Dipper looked at each other and shuddered. That idea was out.

"We could give her to little Maddie across the street…"

"No way! That kid is psycho! Remember how she snaps the heads off her Barbie dolls?"

Dipper nodded. That was out too.

"What about Ms. Robinson? She's got like twenty cats, so Ms. Whiskerton would have lots of company."

Mabel shook her head. "She wouldn't get enough one-on-one attention."

Dipper sighed.

"What about Mr. McGuire?"

"That old grump?" Dipper asked, incredulously.

"I mean, he's always been nice to animals. Besides…" Mabel gave a small smile. "We know now that grumpy old men can give lots of love."


	13. Outside Looking In

"This is the type of ritzy neighborhood where houses sell fast. The place is in great shape, so I don't see why it shouldn't be a snap to sell," Stan said. He was afraid if he stopped talking, the weight of the heavy loss would crush him. "What do you think, genius?"

Ford gave a small laugh. "Stanley, I'm clueless when it comes to business. You managed that shack for decades like a master businessman. My knowledge on the subject is inferior in every way."

Stan was honestly shocked. Ford _never_ spoke on his shortcomings like this, at least not since Stan had known him.

"C'mon, Sixer, you had to have made a good deal at one time or another? After all, you are a Pines."

"I'm afraid in the other dimensions business is typically done with guns."

The two shared a small laugh.

"The kids don't need to go through all of this mess. We gotta get them back to Oregon as soon as possible. I know that the shack is trash compared to here, but it's been familiar to them for the past few months, and it'll be good to get them back somewhere that has felt like home."

Ford nodded, though he might have been more hesitant if he knew what Stan was going to say next.

"I'll get the three of you bus tickets outta here in a few days. Like I said, I have no intention of being up here for long, but you can hold down the fort with them till I get back."

"Stanley, why can't you conduct business from Oregon? Can't you just do all of it over the internet or something?"

"Sixer, I ain't selling my nephew's house to a stranger over the internet. This is about way more than money. it's about making sure that the people who buy the house will respect it. This place was home to four people up until just a few days ago, and whoever is gonna own the house next is going to respect that."

"But…but I don't know how to take care of them and keep them safe like you do!"

Stan looked at Ford and made a heartbreaking realization: he demanded that Ford stay away from the kids believing he was a dangerous man. It seemed that Ford took his words to heart.

"Sixer, I wouldn't leave them with you if I didn't believe you could do this. _They need you_."

Ford sighed deeply and nodded, determined to do his best.

He looked at Stan whose eyes were red. Ford couldn't decide if it was lack of sleep or threatening tears, but either way, he knew his brother needed rest.

"Stanley, you've got to get some sleep. You're worn out. If you're going to sell this place, you need some energy."

Stan was too weary to argue. "I'm just gonna check on the kids real quick. It's awful quiet up there."

Ford nodded solemnly, he didn't know what state he would find the kids, but he knew he was no use to them if he wasn't there for them. That would be the very first step in being a good caregiver.

Stan went to check Mabel's bedroom, while Ford checked Dipper's. When both rooms ended up being empty, a feeling of panic washed over both old men as they searched upstairs frantically.

Stan finally found them in a heartbreaking state. They were curled up side by side on their parent's bed — faces buried in pillows that still had faint traces of their parents' scent.

Stan went over to the side of the bed and tucked the blanket around the sleeping children. They looked so vulnerable and helpless. For some reason, this made him afraid to leave them alone.

Without grabbing so much as a pillow for comfort, Stan laid on the floor beside their bed. He's slept in more uncomfortable places than this. He resolved to stay by and protect them should need be.

Ford wanted nothing more than to join his family and be there for the kids like his brother. Unfortunately, Mabel was holding her beloved cat in her arms, and Ford knew that if he got closer, he would sneeze and wake his weary family.

Once again, Ford was left on the outside looking in on the family he wanted to be a part of.


	14. Taking Care of Business

The next morning, Stan alerted the kids to the game plan, and the four Pines worked in solemn silence. They didn't require words to understand the specifics of what was going to happen and what needed to be done before then.

Stan was getting the deed and other paperwork in order. He wanted to get this painful task done as quickly as possible, but he also wanted to do it right. This was one of the first times in his life that money didn't matter, all that mattered was honoring his nephew and niece-in-law.

Ford was going through the house looking for mementos that Dipper and Mabel might appreciate having as they grew up. Stan specifically requested that he collect lots of things that would hold sentimental value, as opposed to overly elegant things. He knew Dipper and Mabel well enough to understand that it wouldn't be the most expensive or finest treasures that they would want to keep, but rather things they could look at and remember their parents and the happy times of their almost thirteen all-too-brief years with them. It was mainly photos and such. Ford had no idea where they would keep all of them, but by God, they'll make room somehow.

Dipper and Mabel were packing up their individual bedrooms quietly placing their most treasured items in a box that they would keep in Oregon. They were both aware that the shack would be far too small to hold everything, so they had to make some painful decisions and place most items in donation boxes.

Mabel was giving Ms. Whiskerton lots of love and affection because she knew that as soon as she finished packing her room, she would have to let her go.

Mabel noticed Dipper suddenly stop going through his stuff staring at something in his hand.

"Dipper?" Mabel looked over his shoulder and realized he was holding his Lamby Lamby costume.

"Aww, Dipper, I didn't even know we still had this." Mabel smiled though as she remembered all the laughs that costume had given them over the years.

"Mom asked me not to get rid of it, even though I didn't do it anymore. She wanted to keep it for sentimental reasons. I wanted to throw it away because it was so embarrassing, but now…" Dipper's lip quivered. "I would do it in front of the whole world if I could see Mom smile one more time."

Mabel simply nodded as she hugged her brother close. "Mom knows that Dipper. Mom knows how much you loved her…she knows."

Dipper gave his sister a small smile. "I think I want to keep the costume."

"Mom would like that."

She looked sadly at the cat in her arms knowing what she had to do now. Dipper put a hand on her shoulder. "C'mon sis, we can go together."

—

"And well…I think you should have her," Mabel said with a shaky voice as she handed her cat over to Mr. McGuire.

The old man had never been particularly fond of "those noisy kids," but seeing such kindness during such hardship warmed his old heart.

"That's awful kind of ya, little lady. I've been wanting to get myself a pet for a long time but never got around to it. I promise you I'll take good care of her."

"That's all I ask," Mabel said as she turned to walk away with Dipper.

"Hey!" the old man called back to them.

"I'm real sorry about your parents. They were good people…and…I'll miss telling ya to get off my lawn and such…"

The kids nodded sadly as they turned to walk away again.

"Hey! One more thing!" he said as he headed inside.

Dipper and Mabel looked at each other confused.

The old man lugged a huge net filled to the brim with all sorts of balls: baseballs, basketballs, badminton balls…every ball Dipper and Mabel had ever sent over his fence during their childhood days that he refused to give back. They honestly never thought they would ever see them again. Despite everything, they released a small laugh.

"This is really sweet, Mr. McGuire!" said Mabel.

"But…well we have sort of outgrown our 'sports' phase," Dipper said. After all, who needed balls when there was a whole wooded area to explore? Besides…he knew there wouldn't be room in the shack for them all.

"Why don't you share them with the other kids in the neighborhood?"

"Kind of do it in memory of us!" Mabel added.

The old man smiled sadly as he waved those two "trouble-making" kids goodbye.

"Think you're almost ready to go sis?" Dipper asked quietly.

Mabel looked at him sadly. "Ready as I'll ever be."

The kids opened the door to their house and found Stan and Ford sitting at the kitchen table.

"Hey, kids, listen we gotta talk," Stan started.

"We know, Grunkle Stan. Dipper and I are ready to go."

"That's great, but…I'm not going back with you."


	15. Abandonment

"What do you mean you aren't coming back with us?" Dipper asked, more confused than anything.

Poor Mabel looked like she was holding in a flood of tears.

Stan quickly changed his wording. "I just mean I'm not coming back with you guys right away. I need to stay here, just till I can get the house sold."

"B-but you can't stay! We need you back at the shack!" Mabel pleaded.

"Don't worry, kid, Ford'll look after you guys."

Ford tried to offer the girl a reassuring smile, but Mabel was far from in the mood to return his warmth.

"No! We need _you!_ Why can't Ford stay?"

Ford's smile dissipated as he tried with all his might to hide his hurt at Mabel openly admitting she favored Stan over him. It hit him that she had probably experienced that same hurt when he himself blatantly favored Dipper over her.

"Cause I know about finances. You'll see, pumpkin. I'll have the place sold in a snap, and then I'll come right back, I promise."

"How will you get back? There's only one car and you can't use public transit!" Mabel argued, desperate to convince Stan to change his plan.

Stan gave the girl a small smile. "I got three bus passes for you, Dipper, and Ford."

"How will you get home?! I've seen you drive Grunkle Stan! I can't lose you too!"

"Pumpkin, the Stan-mobile and I have been a team for years. I'll be careful. It's all gonna be okay."

"What about _US _I thought that _WE _were a team! You can't abandon us now! You can't!"

"Mabel, I—" Stan started, but Mabel darted away before he could finish.

"See, Stanley? She hates me…" Ford whispered defeated.

"She doesn't hate you, Grunkle Ford. She just hates all of this," Dipper explained.

Ford gave the boy's shoulder an affectionate rub. Both children certainly had a lot to hate at the moment. It wasn't fair for Ford to barge into the girl's grief and use it to try to bond with her. He realized the best way to help Mabel would be to try to give her some space while she processed all this.

"I'd better go talk to her," Stan said as he started up the stairs.

"Grunkle Stan, wait!" Dipper called out.

Stan turned to give the boy his full attention.

"What…what about the funerals, and…and starting school?" Dipper asked as he clutched the now-priceless backpack: the last gift his parents would ever give him.

"Kid, you shouldn't worry about school now…"

"I _want_ to worry about school. It'll give me something else to worry about besides how sad I am."

Stan nodded. Who was he to determine how the kid should best grieve this?

"Wendy can get you and Mabel registered, and as for the funeral—" Stan was about to promise he'll get on it as soon as he's back, but Ford beat him to the punch.

"I'll take care of it," Ford declared. He wasn't exactly looking forward to it, but with all Stan had on his plate, it was the least he could do to help him and the kids.

Dipper chimed in. "I'll help you, Grunkle Ford."

"Dipper you don't have to—"

"I _want to_. They were my parents, and well…I gotta do something besides sit around and cry all day."

Maybe it was selfish, even childish of him to want the help of a grieving child, but Ford couldn't deny he felt less apprehensive knowing he'll have Dipper by his side.

Stan gave a small smile at the strength of the young boy, before heading up the stairs to try to talk to Mabel.

He knew she had been through hell these past few days, and that it wasn't fair to expect her to grieve in the same way as her brother, but she would never know how much it destroyed him that she would think for even a second that he would abandon her.

He snuck around upstairs quietly, not wanting to startle her or have her run off again.

"Mabel? Mabel, you up here kid?" he softly called.

Before long he heard her muffled cries, but he couldn't see her.

He followed the sound into what looked like an art studio, presumably belonging to his nephew.

He still couldn't see Mabel though. He followed the cries to a small door under the main desk.

Stan opened it to find a small compartment where he assumed Mabel and Dipper had played while their father worked.

Mabel was curled into sweater town sobbing. the heartbreak in her voice broke Stan's own heart.

With some difficulty, Stan crawled into the compartment beside his sweet niece. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her in close, allowing her to sob against his chest.

"I know, kid, I know it's a lot…" Stan soothed, what else could he say now?

"W-why can't I stay here and help you sell the house?" Mabel pleaded.

"Cause you know that Ford and Dipper need you with them…you can show Ford how to make Stan-cakes…" Stan thought of another way to appeal to Mabel. "Besides, Waddles needs you."

Mabel did miss her pig terribly, especially after being forced to part with Ms. Whiskerton. "You promise you'll come back?"

"Cross my heart," Stan promised, though he didn't dare finish the saying.

"And you'll be careful driving?"

"Super careful…and hey, I'm old, so I'll have to make tons of pit stops. I promise to call you at all of them."

"Every last one?"

"All of them."

"And…when you do come back, do you promise you won't leave us again?" Mabel whimpered.

Stan paused for a moment as the true weight of his responsibility, the true weight of how very much he was loved and needed sink in.

Stan did something he hadn't done since Mabel was a tiny baby and kissed her forehead.

"I promise."


	16. Distance

"Grunkle Ford, can I have a pill this time?" Mabel asked before the bus even arrived to pick her up. She still wanted to support her brother, but the way she saw it, he was going to have Ford. If she was going to be without her Grunkle Stan, she wanted to experience the isolation in a dark, dreamless, state.

Her feelings weren't lost on the scientist, and while he was hurt at the continued distance between him and Mabel, he had no idea how to go about fixing it. He figured that it would be better for him to give her space for now.

He wasn't even sure how to attempt talking with Dipper right now. It was usually easy to talk to the boy, because it was so much like looking into a mirror of himself when he was young. Even though he was certain that Dipper was better than he could ever hope to be.

They rode in silence for a long time, Dipper allowing Mabel to lean on him for comfort as she slept.

Ford was on his laptop researching how to plan a funeral. It seemed like an odd thing to research, but he had zero experience in that field. He didn't want to bother the kids, but he still had questions in regard to making sure that they had the sendoff they deserved.

"Umm…Dipper?" he whispered nervously.

Dipper looked up at him.

"Were your parents…I mean did they practice any kind of…? I know our side of the family is Jewish…"

"They weren't really. Mabel and I would put up a Menorah and a Christmas Tree every year, but we never practiced a certain religion."

"Oh…thank you,"

Dipper nodded before asking a question of his own. "Do you think that there's a heaven?"

The question caught the scientist off guard. He certainly wasn't expecting it, but he didn't want to ignore the boy either.

"I like to think that whatever comes next is better than what's here. After all, life is a hard and heartbreaking thing, and people always say that the dead rest in peace, so I like to think whatever is on the other side is at least peaceful."

Dipper took the answer in before tearing up and asking a follow up question. "Do you think that wherever they are…they miss us too?"

Ford wanted to embrace the poor boy, but he didn't want to move him and wake Mabel, so instead he stroked the boy's hair and whispered, "Of course they do, and they always will."

"Me too," was the only response the boy could manage.

—

Mabel woke up just a short time before arriving back to Gravity Falls. She surprised herself when tears came to her eyes upon seeing the town sign. A few days ago, she imagined herself crying as she watched it disappear into the ether, but now, she wanted to be anywhere but here.

When they arrived at the Shack, they were surprised to see Wendy and Soos waiting up for them. It was long past the end of their shifts.

"Hey, dudes," Soos said, forcing a smile.

"Here, guys, let me take those." Wendy offered as she scooped up both Dipper and Mabel's luggage with her lumberjack strength.

Waddles gave a happy oink as he rushed up to his master, Mabel opened her arms and held the pig for dear life.

Dipper looked up at the Shack as it hit him that it would no longer be a summer getaway, but a forever home. He didn't care that it wasn't as big or nice as his childhood home, but he felt a sense of magic drain from it, nonetheless. It had seemed more special to him when he thought it would be nothing more than a vacation spot. It was now his home, and after the trauma of the past few days, he doubted it would ever seem magical ever again.

—

A little while later, Dipper and Mabel had unpacked some of their things (enough to get them through those first few days), and they were settling into bed. There were no late-night discussions, or games of mini-golf, only heartbreaking silence.

At one point, Waddles started chewing on the sleeve of Mabel's nightshirt like he had done throughout most of the summer. Little did he know that this was now a huge mistake.

"NO WADDLES!" Mabel ordered with a tone that was so angry and unlike her that it startled the pig. "You can't chew this anymore! It's Dad's…" she whispered softly, feeling guilty for yelling but being too prideful to say so.

Waddles was trying to comprehend his owner's sadness, but he couldn't, so he just snuggled up to her. He wanted to help however he could.

Ford came up to check on the kid's and bid them goodnight. Dipper managed a quiet goodnight, but Mabel just pulled the blanket over her head, pretending to be asleep, but he knew she wasn't. Stan was miles away, and he was the one by Mabel's side now. Yet, he felt so far away.


	17. Nobody's Son

"This casket is lined with linen and comes with a lovely silk pillow. It would be perfect for your mother's remains!" Mrs. Valentino said in that disturbingly perky voice. Each syllable spoken with her sugary sweet vocal tone drove daggers of fury deeper and deeper into Dipper's soul. He and Ford were going through the unenviable task of planning their parents' funeral. Dipper longed for his sister to be with him too, but he knew that she couldn't handle it now, especially without Stan. Dipper had to work to respect that, but he didn't feel any such obligation to Mrs. Valentino.

"My mom's dead. She can't feel the pillow. She can't feel anything…" Dipper said coldly.

Mrs. Valentino tried to brush it off as she did with all her other clients. "Alright, well how about this handsome mahogany for your dad—?"

"Will you stop being so damn perky?! It's a coffin we're buying, not a car! It's a coffin my sister and I are going to bury our dead parents in! I don't need your fake fucking smiles and your forced cheeriness! It's a funeral, dammit!"

"Dipper…son" Ford said, not realizing how triggering that intended term of endearment was.

"I'M NOT YOUR SON! I'M NOT ANYONE'S SON ANYMORE!"

Dipper banged his fist on one of the coffins. The snap of pain surging through his brain brought his mind back to some form of reality. He knew Ford and Mrs. Valentino were only trying to help, and he shouldn't be too hard on them, but he was still too prideful to admit it out loud.

"Please…I just want to get this over with so we can go home," he whispered in a shaking voice.

—

Later that night, Dipper had pulled out some home movies he had taken from California. He never thought he would be so grateful that Stan was one of the only people he knew to still own a VCR.

He popped in one of the earlier tapes to find a video recording of him and Mabel when they were around two years old. Their dad was making funny faces trying to make them laugh, while Mabel was attempting to mirror him and making _him _laugh.

All the noise overwhelmed the sensitive young Dipper as he had begun to cry — not unlike what was threatening to happen now, over a decade later.

At that moment, he heard Ford's distinct footsteps. Dipper quickly jumped up and caught the remote in his shaking hands, hoping to turn it off before Ford could come in and find him on the verge of a breakdown.

Then, his mother's voice came through on the video.

"_Dipper…" _His mother said in a sing-song voice. _"Who wants a Lamby Lamby Lamby?"_

Dipper replied. _"I do! I do!"_

Dipper couldn't turn it off now, even if he wanted to. He didn't care that he was crying over an old embarrassing video. Hearing his mother's voice on the recording was a cruel reminder that he'll never hear his mother speak to him again. He can only be an outside observer to the ghost of his mother speaking to the innocent young child he used to be.

This finally sent Dipper over the edge as he dropped the remote on the floor and collapsed into tears.

He looked up at Ford with this heartbreaking expression of humiliation. He turned his head away from Ford, embarrassed to be crying in front of him.

Ford pictured himself at Dipper's age. He had told Dipper all summer how alike they were, but only now did Ford realize the similarities reached deeper than their love of science and mystery. They were both gentle and emotional souls in a world that seldom valued those qualities in men. Ford's own father certainly didn't value those traits. If Ford ever showed such vulnerability to his father, he would scoff at him to "suck it up" or "be a man."

He knew next to nothing about parenting or about being a guardian, but he did know that he did not want to raise Dipper that way. He wanted Dipper to come to him when he was upset, he wanted Dipper to know that he could turn to Ford for comfort, he wanted Dipper to remember him as someone who was there for him during the worst days of his life.

He sat on the floor next to Dipper. He laid his hand on Dipper's back and the boy stiffened slightly. Dipper trembled like he was holding something in that caused his body physical pain.

Ford gently scooped the boy up in his arms. Dipper let out a surprised gasp as he was settled on to Ford's lap. He looked up at his uncle with tears still streaming down his cheeks. Ford looked down at him with nothing but love and sympathy. Even without words, he understood what Ford was telling him. This man, whom Dipper had adored and idolized, whom he wanted to prove himself to, was giving Dipper permission to break down.

He had cried after his parents died, sure, but even when he first found out, he tried to keep himself restrained, mostly to be strong for Mabel. But also, ridiculous as it was at this current time, ashamed of letting his uncles see him cry.

The emotional explosion burst from Dipper as he wailed into Ford's chest, unrestrained, unfiltered. Just pure, raw grief bleeding from him.

Though Dipper felt terrible sadness, he also felt a sense of relief. He didn't have to be a man; he didn't have to be a protective brother; he could just be a little boy who missed his mommy and daddy.

It broke Ford's heart to see Dipper this way, yet, he couldn't help but also feel relieved. He was able to comfort Dipper in his most vulnerable moment, which is more than Filbrick had ever done. It gave him hope that sons do not have to repeat the sins of their fathers, hope that he could be the guardian these kids needed, and hope that he, a man who had planned to spend the rest of his life alone, might find a place in this family.


	18. ForgivenessCan You Imagine?

Stan returned to Oregon about two weeks later. It wasn't a moment too soon for Mabel, who embraced him like she would never let him go again.

He sat both kids down and explained the contents of their parents will, which included extensive plans for the care of their children should something happen to them. It described how they were to remain in the care of their next-of-kin, Stanford Pines. They all realized the cruel irony that Mr. and Mrs. Pines had never met the real Stanford Pines. Of all the guilt living his secret life had caused, by far the greatest guilt was that his nephew never realized he was living a lie and entrusted his greatest treasures to a man who was certain he wasn't worthy of it.

"Why did they have this will written up?" Mabel asked. "They were still so young."

"Cause when you two were born, they always wanted to make sure you were taken care of…even if the worst happened." Stan explained though he doubted the kids' parents ever imagined their will would ever have to be carried out.

They had very few clauses about their wishes for their burial, at least as the ceremony pertained to them. The most specific request they made was that their wonderful, unique, and lively children not be forced to dress in a way that was counterintuitive to who they were.

Dipper and Mabel had been raised in a very loving and unconditionally accepting family. Their parents were financially well off but refused to raise their children to be upper-class snobs who were constantly concerning themselves with keeping up with the expectations of high society. This more free-form of parenting didn't mean that the kids didn't have rules growing up, in fact, their parents could sometimes be described as overprotective and coddling towards both of them, but for all the rules regarding safety and such there was always room to make mistakes and always a home that would accept you for exactly who you were. In a society that so often forces people into boxes, Mr. and Mrs. Pines always taught their children that the greatest joys in life are found when you are allowed to be true to yourself, and to let pressures other people put on you go.

That's why on a bright and sunny Saturday in the middle of September, Dipper dawned a plain black collared shirt and his pine tree hat and Mabel wore a sweater with a smiling sun on it…so she could see something smile today.

Mabel was taken aback by the sunny day outside. Her only real experience with funerals had been on television, and it always poured rain during those. She couldn't even really remember her parents attending many funerals growing up; they were still far too young a family to need to worry about stuff like that. They shouldn't have had to worry about them for several more decades at least. Now, her first ever funeral would be saying goodbye to two of the most important people in the world to her.

The fair weather only caused the emotional storm inside Dipper to rage more. He looked out the window of the car on the way to the funeral and he saw people out for picnics, flying kites in the early autumn wind, riding bikes, and in general enjoying life. He knew it was because these people didn't know his parents. They weren't grieving. In their world, nothing was wrong at all. It enraged Dipper to know that the world was still turning and working the same as usual, even though something so tragic and earth-shattering had happened to Mabel and him. These people never knew his wonderful and loving parents, and now they would never have a chance.

When they arrived at the funeral home, there was already a decent-sized crowd gathered. Dipper and Mabel were surprised to see a mixture of townspeople that they had grown to know and love, as well as a few people who had flown in from California, people such as colleagues of their father and former students of their mother. The people from California would offer sympathetic smiles at the kids, but they didn't _know _them like the residents of Gravity Falls. It did Dipper and Mabel some good to get lost in the loving embraces of the cast of lovable oddballs they were lucky enough to call their friends.

After the service, they gathered at the graveyard to lay their beloved parents to rest. Dipper was too proud to admit it, but Mr. and Mrs. Valentino had given their parents a lovely plot underneath an oak tree on the side of a hill. As he leaned his head on his mother's casket for one final time, he could have sworn he almost felt her warmth coming off the mahogany.

Suddenly, a lone figure started to approach the children.

Stan recognized him instantly and went into protective mode as he barricaded himself in front of the kids.

"Please…" the man spoke in a broken voice. "I just want to tell them how sorry I am…" he was shaking and had tears flowing down his face. He looked like he hadn't slept a wink since the accident.

Stan had little mercy towards his obvious exhaustion. As far as Stan was concerned, he didn't deserve to sleep at night knowing the pain he caused his family.

Dipper had the exact same thought as Stan. "Sorry? _Sorry? _You think saying sorry is going to make this all better?" Dipper pointed to his parents' caskets. "YOU _KILLED THEM! _THEY WERE JUST COMING TO SURPRISE US FOR OUR BIRTHDAY! AND YOU KILLED THEM! AS FAR AS I CARE, YOU CAN ROT IN HELL FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE!" Dipper's face was red, and tears of anguish ran down his cheeks. Unable to be in the man's presence anymore, Dipper stormed off. Ford followed him quietly. He knew there wasn't anything he could say to Dipper, but he didn't want the boy to be alone.

The man didn't really expect a positive reaction but was still devasted, nonetheless. He was about to leave when he heard a small voice say, "I forgive you."

The driver and Stan looked at the poor little girl completely shocked. Dipper and Ford even slightly turned around from where they were standing. Mabel almost wished she could be angry and explode like her brother but seeing how broken the man is, how genuinely sorry he is, she felt too much pity for him to hate him.

"I-I'm so sorry…so very very sorry…"

"I know…you didn't mean to…it was just an accident. I forgive you," she reiterated.

"Thank you," the man choked out.

"But…I think you should go." Accident or not, this man was her parents' killer. She can forgive him, but that didn't mean she wanted to see him. She turned her back to him to give her attention to her brother and the newly marked graves of her parents. Stan gave one last killer glance at the man before turning to be with his family.

The man nodded. He was grateful to that the girl at least showed him mercy he probably didn't even deserve. He turned away from the family with the intention of never showing his face around them again. All he could do was learn to live with the consequences of what he had done.


	19. Closure

The night after the funeral, Dipper and Mabel were exhausted, but couldn't fall asleep. The burial gave them some closure, but there was still one thing plaguing them.

"Dipper?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you make something bad happen by wishing?" She asked thickly.

"No…why?"

"Because I wanted to stay in Gravity Falls so bad. And now, we're staying in Gravity Falls permanently. I'm scared that…that Mom and Dad died because I wished for it," she said as tears began streaming down her face.

Dipper untucked himself from bed to go over to his sister's side. "Mabel, don't be silly. You didn't make anything bad happen by wanting to stay here."

"I caused the end of the world because I wanted to stay here."

"_Almost_…you _almost_ brought about the end of the world by wanting to stay here," Dipper teased.

Knowing that her brother was just joking allowed Mabel to release a tiny laugh.

"And hey, you weren't the only one who wanted to stay here. I did too," Dipper whispered. "I wanted so badly to study under Ford, I was willing to leave you…and leave Mom and Dad."

"They would have wanted you to stay if it would have made you happy," Mabel assured.

"But it wouldn't have made me happy, Mabel. I would have missed you like crazy! And I—I would have missed…Mom and Dad," Dipper said as tears fell from his own eyes recognizing the cruel irony that he's now experiencing that in the worst way possible.

Mabel tenderly wrapped her arms around her brother and pulled him close. "It wasn't your fault either, you know?"

"I'll let myself know that if you'll let yourself know it's not your fault either."

The two did their mystery twins handshake to communicate they would no longer blame themselves.

They wiped their eyes and sat in silence for a long moment before Mabel spoke, "So…I overheard Ford inviting you on a science field trip thingy. Are you gonna go?"

"No way, Sis, I'd rather stay here at the Shack with you and Stan!"

Mabel gave a sly grin. "Dipper, you and I were womb-mates. You can't sneak a lie past me!"

"Mabel, I'm serious—"

"Dipper, it's aliens we are talking about! You've been geeking out over the possibility of aliens around here for months!"

"I don't want to leave you…not now." Dipper's eyes lit up. "Hey, why don't you come with us?"

Mabel was taken aback. Honestly, she did want to go. She wanted to bond with Ford too.

But she probably wouldn't be able to keep up with Ford's and Dipper's scientific expertise. She wouldn't have much to contribute. At best, she'd be a useless tagalong. At worst, she'll look stupid in front of Ford.

Thankfully, she was a better liar than her brother. "A whole weekend doing science-y stuff? No way! You can do your nerd stuff without me!"

"But—"

"Listen, you deserve to get out and do something that makes you happy, I'll be fine with Grunkle Stan, I pinky promise. Please go!"

"You promise you'll be okay?"

"I do more than promise, I pinky promise!"

The two locked pinkies and relented.

It was just one weekend. What could happen?


	20. Little Did They Know

After the funeral, steps were taken by all four family members to piece their lives together.

Dipper started school right away. He grieved by keeping himself as busy as possible. However, he made sure he was there for his sister. He opted out of taking advanced classes like he did in Piedmont to be in the same classes as Mabel so they could be together.

Mabel still primarily grieved by lying around and not doing much of anything, but seeing Dipper putting so much effort to be there for her gave her the motivation to try to carry on with her life as normally as possible. At the very least, she attended school with Dipper, so his academic sacrifice wouldn't be in vain.

Ford had taken on the grunt of the housework while Stan could focus on running the business to make sure they had enough money for the kids. Ford wasn't used to domestic life, and the survival skills he's picked up the past forty years weren't going to be much use being a guardian to two orphaned children.

But household chores weren't the hard part; it was how to an emotional support system for them.

Stan had the advantage of knowing the children longer. While Ford had made some progress with Dipper, he still struggled to overcome the emotional hurdles between him and Mabel. Not wanting to risk a chance of ruining a potential relationship, he decided to give Mabel space until she became more comfortable around him.

Stan had made the biggest change by far. Upon returning from California, it was like Mabel and Dipper hardly recognized him. He was still a master conman, gruff and tough while at work, but when he would engage with Dipper and Mabel, he was far more tender, understanding, and loving than they had ever known him. He would hug them frequently, ask how they were doing, and would even do things like tuck them into bed at night.

The weekend of Ford's and Dipper's trip had come. He was excited to spend some time with the boy. Mabel was kind enough to pack snacks for them, she also gave them a thermos of Mabel juice. Ford had been unfortunate enough to witness her creation process on the drink and would rather die of thirst than to drink it, but he took it to try to be polite regardless.

"Thank you, Mabel, dear. This was very thoughtful of you."

"You're welcome, Grunkle Ford."

An awkward silence came between them. Ford felt guilty about leaving her behind. He really did enjoy her company. He considered inviting her for the one-millionth time.

"Mabel…?"

"Yes?" She asked as her face slightly lit up.

For whatever reason, Ford concluded it wasn't the right time. She wasn't as interested in science as Dipper was. He didn't want her to be bored and have a miserable time. That may just drive her further away from him. He couldn't risk that. He would rather wait and find something he knew she would enjoy.

"Keep Stan out of trouble while we're gone, okay?"

Mabel's shoulder dropped in disappointment. She thought for a second that Ford was about to invite her.

That was silly. Why would he want her to come? He hadn't wanted her around before, and there was no reason it should be any different now.

"I'll try my best," she said with a forced smile.

He and Dipper were heading out the door when he turned around and gave Mabel a second glance. He couldn't help but notice she seemed disappointed. _Did she _want to come? She was still giving a smile that Ford suspected was a fake one. It made him want to ask so many questions.

_Would you like to come with us?_

_Would you like us to stay here?_

_Do you want to talk about anything?_

And the question that plagued his mind most of all.

_Do you know how much I love you?_

He wanted so badly to be able to vocalize any one of these questions, but the words were lodged in his throat. It was so terrible that he could rattle off countless facts and statistics with elegance but couldn't tell his own niece how much he cared for her.

He did the only thing he knew what to do when confronted with an uncomfortable situation: he turned away to bury himself in his research.

With that, he left behind the girl who will soon need him more than ever.


	21. ADOPTION AU ANNOUNCEMENT UPDATED

HELLO FANFICTION FAMILY! I AM REALLY SORRY IF THIS NOTIFICATION GOT YOUR HOPES UP FOR ANOTHER CHAPTER, BUT I DIDN'T KNOW HOW ELSE TO SHARE THIS IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT (HENCE THE CAPS LOCK…I'M NOT ANGRY JUST PUMPED!)

SO, FOR THE PAST FEW MONTHS I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET A NEW AND EXCITING PROJECT OFF THE GROUND FOR THE ADOPTION AU! (DRUM ROLL PLEASE….) I AM PLANNING AN AUDIO VERSION OF THE STORY FOR YOUTUBE AND OTHER VIDEO PLATFORMS!

THE PROBLEM IS…TO GET THIS OFF THE GROUND WE NEED CHARACTER VOICES! (YOU GUYS DO NOT WANT TO HEAR MY GRUNKLE STAN…I PROMISE).

THIS IS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU GUYS TO GET IN ON THE AU AND BE PART OF A BIG PROJECT! I AM REALLY LOOKING FOR VOICE ACTORS FROM ALL EXPERIENCE LEVELS WHO ARE WILLING TO DO IMPRESSIONS/NARRATIONS! IF YOU DON'T THINK THAT YOU ARE AT A PRO LEVEL BUT STILL WANNA TRY IT…PLEASE DO!

ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE PARTICULARLY COMFORTABLE ATTEMPTING A VOICE FOR THE MALE CHARACTERS (THINK DIPPER, FORD, STAN….AND EVEN BRAD FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WANNA GET EVIL!)

I'LL BE STRAIGHT FORWARD WITH YOU GUYS…WITHOUT INTEREST FROM YOU GUYS THIS PROJECT WILL NEVER GET OFF THE GROUND SO PLEASE! IF YOU ARE EVEN A LITTLE INTERESTED PLEASE CONSIDER AUDITIONING! ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS SEND A SHORT AUDIO CLIP OF YOU TELLING ME YOUR NAME (OR YOUR FANFIC NAME) WHO YOU WANT TO AUDITION FOR AND DO A SHORT READING FROM YOUR FAVORITE AU STORY! SEND THE EMAIL TO

IF YOU REALLY LIKE ONE STORY BUT DON'T WANT TO DO THEM ALL PLEASE LET ME KNOW AND WE CAN WORK SOMETHING OUT! I AM GOING TO TRY MY HARDEST TO FIND A PLACE IN THE PROJECT FOR EVERYONE WHO WANTS TO PARTICIPATE, CONSIDERING THIS IS SUCH A BIG UNDERTAKING! PLEASE SEND AN EMAIL WITH YOUR AUDIO CLIP ASAP…THE SOONER WE GET INTEREST THE SOONER THE PROJECT WILL GET OFF THE GROUND! YOU CAN SEND AUDITION SUBMISSIONS AS WELL AS ANY QUESTIONS TO THE EMAIL IT WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL IF YOU COULD AT LEAST CONTACT ME SOMETIME THIS WEEK JUST TO LET ME KNOW IF YOU ARE INTERESTED! THANK YOU GUYS SOOOOO MUCH!

FOR WHATEVER REASON WILL NOT LET ME PUT MY EMAIL ADDRESS ON HERE! IF YOU GUYS ARE INTERESTED PLEASE DM ME AND I WILL GET YOU THE ADDRESS! I AM SORRY FOR THE CONFUSION!


	22. CONTINUED

HELLO FANFIC FRIENDS! I AM REALLY SORRY FOR ALL THE NOTIFICATIONS YOU HAVE RECEIVED FROM ME IN THE PAST FEW DAYS! I AM HOPING AFTER THIS POST THEY WILL SLOW DOWN. I JUST WANTED TO LET YOU GUYS KNOW THAT FANFICTION WAS BEING ANNOYING AND WOULD NOT ALLOW ME TO POST MY CONTACT INFO DIRECTLY IN THIS UPDATE (I hate how much I love this website) ANYWAYS IF YOU WANT TO AUDITION FOR THE ADOPTION AU AUDIO STORY PLEASE SIMPLY PRIVATELY MESSAGE ME! (MAREHAMI) OR EVEN KELEFICENT AND WE WILL GO FROM THERE! THANKS FOR EVERYTHING GUYS!


	23. AUDIO ADOPTION AU UPDATE

Hello Fanfiction Friends! I hope that this update finds you all staying safe/healthy during these difficult times! I am posting this update because I have exciting news for you guys….we officially have someone helping me create an audio version of the adoption AU!

We will be starting with the biggest story in the series (Rescue Me) but we hope to do all of the main stories! A trailer release will be coming soon, and we hope to have the audio story up and running as early as next week! All trailers/videos will be uploaded to the YouTube page of That GF Fan (I have added a link to the channel below).

It would mean a lot to me, Keleficent, That GF Fan, and the very talented woman who is doing the reading/trailers/and even a soundtrack for the story (this woman is A-MAZING!) She is trying to put herself out there and because this story is so popular this could be a wonderful starting point for her to create a career out of doing readings/creating music for various fanfictions!

Thank you all for your continued support of this AU and all of the side ventures pertaining to it! I hope this project brings you all as much joy as it is bringing us to create it!

channel/UCv4YAroTmBkyjsZqzE7TeAg


	24. YouTube Channel

Hello Fanfiction Friends/Followers! Thank you all so much for your continued support as we work to bring the Adoption AU to life in an audiobook! I wanted to give you guys an update! We are hoping to have the story posted during the first part of May! (we are already working with drafts, so this is actually happening!) You guys will be able to find the videos on the YouTube channel of That GF Fan. It should be pretty easy to find, and I really hope all of you guys are willing to watch it! I have a really talented woman named Felicia Royle doing all the voicework/music for this project. She has been working really hard and she is hoping this will be a boost to her career considering how popular this story is! Please watch and give the adoption AU and her incredible talent the attention it deserves! Thanks for everything you guys! You are the very best!


	25. Patreon Announcement

I recently lost my job and income due to COVID-19 so ANY support you guys can throw my way would mean the world for me and this AU!

I am updating the fanfictions on AOE to make everyone aware that you can now find me on ( marehami). I have created some exciting and accessible tiers that I hope will allow for me to get to know you guys and have you get to know me and maybe even further develop the Adoption AU! (more information can be found at the link and my personal email is always open to any questions or concerns you guys might have! I know this AU has touched a lot of people and in the midst of this challenging time I am hoping we can create a closer community that is full of peace, love, and Pines family snuggles!


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